I will try not to repeat what has been said concerning this post. Two things jump out at me:

1) Having spent the first half of my life convinced that the better part of me was between my ears, I assure you it is not. If there is one thing that the study of life has taught me, it is that the brain follows the body. A strong and active body makes for a strong and active brain. A lazy and half-hearted body guarantees a lazy and half-hearted brain; which brings me to...

2) Laziness. I am not saying that people who do not perform rituals are lazy. I am saying that a successful work of magic is performed by an active will, an active mind and an active body. Some are already "in the flow", so to speak. Others may need to jump start things, which is where ritual may come in.

I am an oldish man. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that the body is important...very important.

"Others may need to jump start things, which is where ritual may come in."

I understand why the rules to others may be beneficial. A structured setting would help you focus your will, which in turn will lead you to perform your greater magic successfully. There is an underlying reason for all the elements of a Satanic ritual, but I don't think the point is to do things "properly." What it comes down to is the question: did you get the desired results? If the answer is yes, then what you have done speaks for itself. I am not scoffing at the rules that others follow (I know that there are reasons for them), and I am not trying to come across as "I am so great I don't need to follow any rules". There is always room for improvement. Could I do things better and get better/faster results? Of course. I may want to incorporate some elements of a ritual to help myself (the point being of course not to follow the rules but to get better results)What works for you works for you. What works for me works for me.

Says who? The Satanic Bible details a number of rules and necessary components to a ritualistic working. While there may be no single "right" way to do Satanic ritual, there are plenty of clearly wrong ways. For example: trying to do a ritual while watching TV, making idle chat during a ritual, using mind-altering drugs (which inhibit control of the emotions), etc.

Quote:

But for me, the best chamber really is my mind.

My mind is easily the best fantasy creator I have too. But that doesn't mean I'm going to throw my 5.1 home theater system out the window.

I would like to hear what other people use for their ritual tools--swords, altars, chalices, elixir, clothing, or anything else, whether it's included in the Satanic Bible or not.

As Dr. LaVey said and Reverend Strongbone just reiterated, "There is nothing intrinsically esoteric about any combination ... unless one considers the keeping of the secret combination esoteric".

But since I don't really fall into that second category, here you go:

CLOTHING. I have several black robes. Most of these are just altered graduation robes.

ALTAR. I have a 2-3 ft tall cabinet piece with black cloth draped over the top. I keep my altar tools on top, and any extra things (books, ritual CDs, etc.) underneath in the cabinet part.

SYMBOL OF BAPHOMET. Tapestry of the Sigil of Baphomet, hanging on the wall above the altar.

CANDLES. I have several wide, black "column" candles, plus a small white tea light candle.

BELL. Like a lot of Satanists I know, I happen to use a Tibetan bell. Not too surprising, since a lot of catalogs carry them and they are "loud and penetrating" like the Satanic Bible demands.

CHALICE / EXLIR. I have a couple of different chalices, but I pretty much only use a silver-colored one that has the Sigil etched on the side. The elixir varies, but I have my favorites.

SWORD. Small dagger that I bought in an occult shop some years back. Though I may end up getting an actual sword some time.

PHALLUS. A friend of mine owns an occult shop and sells genital candles, one of which I bought years ago for the phallus.

GONG. I have two gongs. One was a birthday gift I received a while ago from some friends who are fellow Church of Satan members. They bought it at Guitar Center. The other is something I stumbled across at a flea market.

PARCHMENT. Office supply stores such as Staples carries a few different 8.5x11" varieties of parchment-style paper. I buy boxes of these to use for ritual and printing up fliers.

While I don't want to go ahead and list all of my ceremonial ritual items here as it can vary depending on the circumstances, I thought I'd enter into this part of the thread by adding that I have a Baphomet which goes everywhere with me in the form of a tattoo.

If ever I feel the need to 'phyche myself up' I can look to it as a talisman of power. Let's say I were to perform a certain set of chi kung breathing exercises and movements and viola, 'instant ritual to go' as it were.

In no way do I mean to downplay the power of a grand ceremonial ritual but I do believe that small scale everyday rituals such as this can have an accumulative effect if one chooses to allow it to.

I would only use candle light though. It would give me some sense of an ancient tomb-like environment.

At first, I only used candle light, but with only 2-3 candles and poor night vision, I found myself straining to read. Rather than buy more candles, I decided to try the lights. I liked the ambiance so much they're now standard.

Originally Posted By: Bill_M

As Dr. LaVey said and Reverend Strongbone just reiterated, "There is nothing intrinsically esoteric about any combination ... unless one considers the keeping of the secret combination esoteric".

I am aware of the combination lock principle, and fully understand that what works for one may be useless for another. I also suspected when I posted that many Satanists would prefer to keep their tools private, which is of course their choice. Since most of my tools were improvised at first, and I consider them less important than the mental component of ritual, I had no problem sharing mine, and I thank you for taking the time to share yours. Most of my rituals are "mental", but I am always open to experimenting and incorporating new ideas into formal rituals.

Originally Posted By: TECHNO

In no way do I mean to downplay the power of a grand ceremonial ritual but I do believe that small scale everyday rituals such as this can have an accumulative effect if one chooses to allow it to.

I agree. I've devised a few of my own "daily rituals".

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Let no sun set which has not shone upon your advance.